Rod Stewart scored his second No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” on this day (November 13) in 1976. The song, which Stewart wrote, spent an impressive eight weeks at the top of the chart.
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“Tonight’s the Night” knocked the Steve Miller Band’s “Rock’n Me” from No. 1 on the Hot 100. It finally was replaced at the pinnacle of the chart on January 8, 1977, by the Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. duet “You Don’t Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show).”
The seductive love ballad features Stewart trying to coax his lover into enjoying a night of passion with him. The end of track features Rod’s then-girlfriend, Swedish actress Britt Eklund, cooing lustfully in French. Ekland also appeared in a music video Stewart made for the tune, although her face remains unseen in the clip.
The song’s suggestive lyrics resulted in a temporary radio ban in the U.K., as the BBC took issue with the line, “Spread your wings and let me come inside.”
The main musical tracks for tracks “Tonight’s the Night” were recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama. The final vocals were laid down at Caribou Ranch in Colorado.
“Tonight’s the Night” was the first single released from Stewart’s 1976 album A Night on the Town. The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, which was certified double platinum for the RIAA for sales of more than 2 million copies in the U.S.
The album also featured two other Hot 100 hits—“The Killing of Georgie (Part I and II)” and Stewart’s cover of Cat Stevens’ “The First Cut Is the Deepest,” which reached No. 30 and No. 21, respectively.
More About the Chart Success of “Tonight’s the Night”
“Tonight’s the Night”’s eight-week stay at No. 1 on the Hot 100 was the longest run at the top of the chart since “Hey Jude” by The Beatles enjoyed a nine-week stand in the fall of 1968. It also was Stewart’s most successful single ever on the Hot 100.
In addition, “Tonight’s the Night” was the No. 1 song on Billboard’s year-end chart for 1977. It was best-selling single in the U.S. that year.
“Tonight’s the Night” was certified gold by the RIAA for sales of 500,000 in the U.S.
Stewart’s Other Hot 100 Chart-Topping Singles
Stewart scored his first No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 in 1971 with “Maggie May.” He later had two other singles reach the top of the chart— his 1978 disco classic “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” and his 1993 collaboration with Sting and Bryan Adams, “All for Love.”
Stewart’s Upcoming Performance Plans
Stewart’s 2024 tour itinerary will wind down with two shows in Europe. They’re scheduled for December 15 in Coruna, Spain, and December 18 in Herning, Denmark.
Rod also has four U.S. headlining gigs lined up in early 2025—February 22 in Atlantic City, New Jersey; February 25 in Jacksonville, Florida; March 1 in Hollywood, Florida; and March 8 in Thackerville, Oklahoma.
In addition, Stewart has a pair of six-show Las Vegas residency engagements scheduled at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. They run from March 12 to March 22, and from May 29 to June 8.
In between his Las Vegas stands, Ro will play a series of 10 European concerts. Those gigs run from an April 23 performance in Kaunas, Lithuania, through a May 13 show in Lisbon, Portugal.
Tickets for Stewart’s concerts are available now via various outlets, including StubHub.
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